Club where man shot, killed closes for good

MILFORD  The nightclub that was the scene of a fatal shooting in December has closed for good, sources say.

Meggan Clark

Published
12:00 am EST, Friday, March 12, 2004

Kangaroos Nite Klub, at 302 Woodmont Road, has been shuttered since early January, after two men were shot as the crowd let out about 2 a.m.

Kangaroos reopened a few times after the shooting but closed again under pressure from city officials. At the time, the owner, Neil Riggione, said the club would likely be closed for "a week or two" while he worked with the city to hammer out security details.

Riggione has since been silent about when he plans to resume business and Kangaroos has remained closed.

On Thursday, Carl Russell, an agent with George G. Smith and Son Real Estate, confirmed that Riggione is "in discussions" with his agency to list the property for sale or lease.

"I do know that theyre not reopening," Milford police spokesman Officer Vaughan Dumas confirmed. "Theyre planning on leasing the property  either that or selling it."

Reached on his cellular phone, Riggione declined to comment. His attorney, Ned Collier, did not return a phone call Thursday afternoon.

The club, long a thorn in the side of city police and officials, saw a marked decrease in attendance after the double shooting, which took the life of Tyrell Harris, 21, of Davenport Avenue, New Haven, and seriously injured Jerome Brantley, 20, also of New Haven.

On top of that, Riggione was under pressure to substantially increase his costs in the wake of the tragedy. The Rev.

Kenneth Fellenbaum, chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners, said Riggione was already paying $300,000 for private security before the shooting, and new security measures the city was requesting would have cost a significant amount of money.

"It seemed pretty iffy to me if theyd ever open again," Fellenbaum said. "Im not surprised. It was my impression they would not reopen." Milford Mayor James Richetelli Jr. said Thursday that Kargaroos permanent closure could be a good thing for Milford.

"Kangaroos, in the way that it was, was not acceptable," he said. "Its not our position to put businesses out of business, but if they are a problem for our community, such as the problems that Kangaroos had, thats not an acceptable establishment.

Fellenbaum said the police commissioners were not looking forward to seeing the club resume business, either.

"We had huge concerns about that operation and the risk to our officer who work private duty there and the people who go there," Fellenbaum said.

City officials have long been critical of the club because of its problem-ridden history, including brawls, a stabbing, and liquor violations over the last few years. Two men were shot in the legs there in October.

In the two weeks before the fatal shooting, police received 75 calls for service to the club, according to Dumas.